In the tradition of Steven Pinker's How the Mind Works, popular psychologist Sia
n Beilock, an expert on performance and brain science, reveals the astonishing n
ew science of why we choke under pressure. She explains what happens in the body
and mind when everything clicks and the perfect golf swing, tricky mathematical
problem, or high-pressure business pitch suddenly become easy. With surprising
insights on every page, Beilock examines how: attention and working memory guide
human performance; how experience and practice, innate factors, and brain devel
opment interact to create our abilities;how these interconnected elements react
to stress - explaining counterintuitive realities, like why the cleverest studen
ts do worst on standardized tests; why we may learn foreign languages best when
we're not paying attention; why early childhood athletic training can backfire;
and how our emotions can make us both smarter and dumber.the mind and body are i
n even closer communication than was ever thought - and breaks new ground on top
of 30 years of integrative health investigations.
